John fishes



J. FISHER. Plank for Conveying Packages. Patented Se'pt. 14, 1880.

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' NIIE STATES Enrica.

JOHN FISHER, OF BROOKLYF, NEW YORK.

PLANK FOR CONVEYING PACKAGES.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 232,120, dated September 14, 1880.

Application filed February 10, 1880.

To all whom it may concern Beitknown that I, JOHN FISHER, of Brooklyn, in the county of Kings and State of New York, have inve'n ted a new and Improved Plank for Conveying Packages in the Holds Vessels, Vehicles, &c., of which the followng is a specification.

My invention relates to an improved plank or conveying packages from under the hatchway of vessels to the various parts of the hold where they are to be stowed, and from storenouses into vehicles, and vice versa.

The invention consists of a sectional plank provided with surface-rollers to facilitate the movement of the packages, and with side ledges to keep the packages from sliding oif the plank, and of couplings for connecting the sections together, which are adapted to be quickly and easily coupled and uncoupled to lengthen and shorten the plank, and which are also arranged to sustain the weight of the plank and the packages conveyed by it.

In the accompanying drawings, Figure 1 is a plan of my improved plank, and Fig. 2 is a longitudinal section of the same, taken on line a: m of Fig. 1.

Referring to the drawings, A A represent the sections which, when joined together, form the plank by which packages lowered through the hatchway of a vessel are conveyed to different parts of the hold. When the storing of the cargo commences it is necessary to convey the packages from the hatchways to the distant parts of the hold. For this purpose a plank sufficiently long to reach to those parts is required to convey the packages; but as the stow'in g proceeds it is requisite that the plank be shortened to make way for the cargo. For this purpose I make the plank of any number of sections, A A, that may be required. and couple them together so that the plank will be selfsupporting, and so that the sections can be quickly and easily coupled together and uncoupled, as it may be required to lengthen and shorten the plank.

In the surface of the sections are sunken rollers a, hung crosswise in the sections, so as to turn on their axes in the direction of the length of the plank. The peripheries of these rollers a project just above the upper surface of the planks or sections, so that when the packages are placed on them they will sustain the packages above the plank, and thus, by preventing frictional contact between the packages and the plank, facilitate the movement of the packages on the plank from the place where they are received to the place where they are to be deposited.

To the edges of the sections A A are applied side ledges, B B, which project above the surface of the sections, and thereby prevent the packages, when sliding over the plank, from falling off said plank before reaching its end.

To one end of a section, A, is fixed a metal casting, 0, provided with recesses or sockets b. The ends of the ledges B B adjacent to the recessed casting G are beveled, forming thus inclined shoulders d d, as shown in Fig. 2. To the adjacent end of the other section, A, is fixed a casting, D, provided with projections e 6, each of which has a pendent lip, f, which lips are adapted to fit over the front portion of plate 0 in the recesses Z: of casting C, so that the two castings will interlock and form a flush connection with each other, and thereby couple the two sections A A together in the manner shown. The ledges B B of this second plank have their ends adjacent to the casting D at an obtuse angle to the surface of the section A, forming thereby projecting shoul ders g g, as in Fig. 2.

When the two castings are locked together, by placing the lips f in the recesses b, the two sections A A are coupled together, and the shoulders a g are in contact with each other.

If the plank thus made be supported at the ends, the interlocked castings O 1) form a strong joint, and the shoulders (I g, bearing against each other, prevent the unsupported middle of the plank from sagging and the castings from becoming unlocked, and the coupling thus formed is sufficiently strong to sustain the weight of the plank and the packages carried by it without the assistance of any additional support under the plank.

Any number of sections A A may be employed to form a plank of the required length. The intermediate sections will require to be provided with castings at each end, so that they may be coupled at both ends to adjoinin g sections.

I do not wish to confine myself to the exact form of coupling here described, as, instead of a rectangular lipped projection and a recess to receive it, a curved or dovetailed lip and recess maybe used, and other kinds ofjoints may be employed.

The rollers a may in many cases be dispensed with.

I claim 1. The combination of the section A provided with ledges B B which have shoulders cl d at the ends, the section A provided with the ledges B B having shoulders g g at the ends, and suitable interlocking devices for connecting the ends of the. sections together, substantially as shown.

2. The section A provided with ledges B B having shoulders (I d, and casting O, with recesses b b, in combination with thesectionA provided with ledges B B having shoulders g g, and casting D, provided with projecting lips f, substantially as shown.

JOHN FISHER. Witnesses TOMPSON B. MosHER, WILTON O. DONN. 

